I. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the meat cutting industry, and more particularly, relates to meat cutting tables.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Meat cutting tables have been utilized for many years to break-down carcasses of butchered animals such as cows, or hogs into, for example, quarter sections, or more often, into smaller cuts of meat sized for wholesale and retail sale. A well known problem associated with wholesale and retail meat cutting operations is the difficulty encountered in attempting to maintain a sanitary work or cutting surface on the meat cutting table to prevent the build-up of bacteria and other foreign matter on the meat being processed for sale.
Typically, in order to inhibit bacterial growth, the meat, before processing, is stored in coolers at a temperature just above freezing, and is processed in refrigerated meat cutting rooms where the temperatures generally do not exceed 50.degree. fahrenheit. As will be discussed later below, various arrangements have been proposed to refrigerate the meat cutting surface so that the room temperature can be elevated to provide a more pleasant working environment. Even when meat cutting is done in rooms having these lower temperatures, there still exists a serious problem with bacterial build-up on the work surfaces of the meat cutting tables during the meat cutting process.
For many years, the work or cutting surface of meat cutting tables has been composed of a hard wood, such as maple. Such a hardwood work surface is subject to being cut and cracked by meat cutting saws or cleavers, and meat scraps and fluids become lodged in such cuts and cracks. The cleaning of such hardwood work surfaces is time consuming and requires that such work surfaces be scraped clean, and then washed down with an antiseptic solution such as bleach. Despite the time and rigor of the cleaning process, it is virtually impossible to completely clean a hardwood work surface because bacteria and other foreign matter remains lodged in the cuts and cracks, and even in the pores of the wood.
An associated and serious problem with such wood surface meat cutting tables relates to the transition between the cutting of beef and the cutting of pork. It is well known that pork meat is often infected with the trichina worm and larva which, during the cutting process, often become lodged, and therefore out of reach of the cleaning process, in the cracks and pores of the wood cutting surface. Thus, even though wood cutting surfaces are cleaned between cutting pork and beef, the trichina worm can be transferred to the beef. Since beef is less likely to be cooked by consumers sufficiently long to destroy the trichina worm, use of wood cutting surfaces presents the danger of consumers contracting trichinosis. For this reason, during a typical day, the beef is cut first, the cutting surface is cleaned, and then the pork is processed at the end of the day. Nevertheless, the carry over of the trichina from the end of one day to the beginning of the next results in the contamination of beef with trichina worms still being a serious problem.
Meat cutting tables are regularly inspected by state and federal authorities to insure that such tables meet specified minimum sanitation standards. At one time, because of the inability of thoroughly cleanse the wood surface of wood meat cutting tables, such wood meat cutting tables were outlawed. The meat cutting industry was forced to shift to meat cutting tables having a hard plastic cutting surface. This switch from wood cutting surfaces was short lived, however, since it was found that plastic cutting surfaces were also susceptible to chipping and cracking and difficult cleaning. In addition, the plastic cutting surfaces contaminated the meat products cut thereon with fragments of plastic dangerous to consumers. At present, both hardwood and plastic cutting surfaces are used on meat cutting tables, but each cutting surface has the disadvantages as described above.
In addition to the problem with cleaning, such wood and plastic cutting surfaces are subject to wear and breakage so that replacement or refinishing is frequently required. For example, a plastic meat cutting surface may have to be replaced every six months or more often, while a typical 3 or 4 inch hard maple cutting surface may have to be refinished and/or replaced every year.
As mentioned earlier, in order to inhibit bacterial growth during the meat cutting process, the temperature of the cutting room is ordinarily not allowed to increase above 50.degree. fahrenheit. Such a cold working environment is extremely unpleasant for workers. Various prior art arrangements have been proposed for keeping the wood surface of a meat cutting table relatively cold in order to inhibit bacterial growth, and yet to allow the room temperature to be increased above 50.degree..
Typical examples of such arrangements which refrigerate the cutting surfaces of the meat cutting table or cutting block are shown in Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 2,156,795, issued May 2, 1939 and Waunch, U.S. Pat. No. 2,105,566, issued Jan. 18, 1938. In both of these patents, apparatus is disclosed wherein cooling or refrigeration coils are located in proximity to and below fabricated or wood cutting blocks. These refrigerated cutting blocks are removable with respect to the refrigeration coils so that the block can be refinished or cleaned or otherwise treated. The insulating value of the structure adjacent the refrigeration coils is greater than the wood cutting blocks so that the cold temperature developed by the coils will be conveyed through and chill the meat cutting block. It was recognized in the Waunch patent, that as a result of the refrigerated condition, bacterial development and growth on the face of the meat cutting block was retarded.
Another proposal for depressing the temperature of the working surface of cutting tables was disclosed in Chamberlain, U.S. Pat. No. 3,422,600, issued Jan. 21, 1969, wherein an apparatus was disclosed with a plenum located above the meat cutting surface for directing cold air onto the working surface of the meat cutting table. An object of the Chamberlain invention was to provide such a refrigerated meat cutting table surface which maintained the temperature of the meat at about 20.degree. F., without chilling the worker, thereby resulting in less worker complaint and illness.
While the problem of bacterial "growth" is reduced by these prior art arrangements which provide for refrigerating the meat cutting surface or meat cutting blocks, such arrangements are not effective in preventing bacteria growth "build-up" which occurs during the day as different pieces of meat are repeatedly placed on the same cutting surface. Similarly, the problems related to deterioration of the wood cutting surface, and to the time consuming and difficult cleaning of the cutting surface, were again, not effectively solved.
Thus, to summarize, all prior art meat cutting tables have had cutting surfaces exhibiting problems associated with bacterial growth and/or bacteria buildup, time consuming and ineffective cleaning, and deterioration, requiring eventual replacement of the cutting surface.
In view of the many serious problems of the prior art, this invention has among its objects to provide a meat cutting apparatus, and method for forming the same, which eliminates some or all of the problems exhibited by the prior art.
More particularly, this invention has among its objects to provide a meat cutting apparatus with an ice top having an upper cutting surface which can be readily cleaned, inhibits bacterial growth, and which eliminates the problems of contaminating the meat with chips of wood or plastic or other foreign material.
This invention also has among its objects to provide such an ice top meat cutting apparatus wherein the ice top meat cutting surface can be quickly cleaned, and if desired, regenerated to its original dimensions without interrupting the meat cutting operation for an appreciable amount of time.
This invention also has among its objects to provide such an ice top meat cutting apparatus wherein the growth of bacteria is effectively prevented, and the detrimental effect of build-up of bacteria can be readily avoided by rapid cleaning or washing down of the ice top cutting surface.
This invention also has among its objects to provide such an ice top meat cutting apparatus wherein the ice top and cutting surface can be maintained at any desired temperature below freezing in order to allow the temperature of the meat cutting room to be elevated, thereby providing workers with a more pleasant and healthy working environment.
This invention also has among its objects to provide such an ice top meat cutting apparatus having a cutting surface which freezes the outer surface of the meat being cut thereon, thus enhancing the bloom of the meat and increasing the meat's shelf life.
Another object of the invention is to provide such an ice top meat cutting apparatus wherein the cooling means for freezing the ice top includes a compressor isolated from the remaining portion of the meat cutting apparatus so that the apparatus contributes to refrigerating the meat cutting room, and, hence, so that the energy expended to operate the apparatus is efficiently utilized.